The Founding Father of the Italian Renaissance

Hils, Crog, "Beyonce" and I ventured out to the Victoria and Albert museum (the V&A) on Friday, to see the exhibition Donatello: Sculpting the Renaissance before it closed (today). It was every bit as awe-inspiring as one might expect - from the gigantic "Head of God", and an even bigger bronze horse's head, to the tiny dancing spiritello and (the faintly ridiculous) fresco "The Miracle of the Mule", everything was meticulous in its detail and, as the exhibition demonstrated, proved just how influential Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi was upon the explosion of artistic magnificence that was the Renaissance.

Here's the thoughts of Annabel Sampson in Tatler (who writes a review much better than I), to sum it all up:

That the ‘Founding Father of the Italian Renaissance’, darling of the all-powerful Medici family and subject of Giorgio Vasari has come to Blighty is a big deal. And it’s no simple feat given his work is spread out across altars, tombs and located up high in churches across Italy. This show marks the first time many of these works have ever, and possibly will ever, be on display in the UK – making it just that tiny bit more thrilling. Like early Renaissance Florence has landed on Cromwell Road.

While Donatello’s actual bronze David isn’t included in the exhibition it does have an uncanny painted plaster cast reproduction. ("I was at the Bargello in Florence last week and I can’t tell the difference," I overheard a neighbouring journalist whisper to their companion, which confirmed my thoughts.)

But the show, on the last leg of its three-country tour, does bring together some absolute show-stoppers. Namely, Donatello’s boyish, waif-like John the Baptist (so far from other depictions of the saint), his austere shimmering cast bronze bust of San Rossore and his poignant Madonnas. A whole wall is dedicated to the Virgin and Child, showcasing terracotta cheeks that look practically squeezable in their visceral plumpness. Then there’s an unmissable row of busts – which Donatello was instrumental in reviving.

And Donatello’s reliefs prove to be just that – a deep breath of a wholesome relief. Filled with jostling figures in carefully thought out compositions. Donatello is credited with inventing rilievo schiacciato (literally ‘squashed relief’) – a technique in which space and depth is created within just a few millimetres (brilliantly showcased in his Madonna of the Clouds). Donatello’s two older friends and colleagues, Filippo Brunelleschi and Lorenzo Ghiberti would also prove to be sculpting superheroes in the early Renaissance. Their influence is still felt today...

...Donatello [is] the star, but [his works are displayed] alongside works by his contemporaries and followers like Masacio, Luca Della Robbia and Michelozzo (to name a few) which aid the explanation of his influences and legacy.

Donatello has been far outlived by his legacy, as this exhibition proves, with countless followers drawing upon his ideas for their own designs. Classicism, certainly, will never go out of fashion: just look at the John Soane Museum, zeitgeisty interiors guru Luke Edward Hall (and his classical David-esque portraits) or the Grecian cherub planters on sale at Anthropologie. Carpe Diem, Ad Astra – thank you Donatello, long may we defer. This show is unmissable.

So very glad that we didn't miss it.

Even it it didn't feature the actual "best arse in sculpture":

[click any pic to enlarge]